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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  2. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  6. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  9. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  10. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  17. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  20. This piece is in a major ________________.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  24. The players ran onto the football ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. bear — to put up with
  2. content — the amount
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. key — for a lock
  6. bear — the animal
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. bear — the animal
  9. lean — to bend
  10. lean — thin
  11. bound — tied together
  12. degree — temperature
  13. degree — from a university
  14. key — the most important part
  15. bound — obliged
  16. lean — to rest against
  17. pitch — a sales talk
  18. content — happy
  19. pitch — completely
  20. key — in music
  21. bound — certain
  22. degree — an amount
  23. content — videos and posts
  24. pitch — a sports field

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com